The Grass is Always Greener
by haleyb333
Summary: While babysitting Max for Magnus and Alec, Ragnor begins to consider starting a family of his own, but he never expected his family to turn out quite like this.
1. Chapter 1

Ragnor was terribly tired after a long night of babysitting Max for Magnus and Alec. They had wanted a "date night", and Ragnor didn't really want to think about what that meant. He and Max had spent all night watching movies and generally laughing as much as possible. Max loved it most of all when Ragnor would sit and help him practice his magic. Magnus usually gave Max a couple of things to work on each week, and he loved getting practice with Ragnor.

At the moment, Ragnor was simply sprawled across his couch, Max asleep beside of him, his head in the crook of Ragnor's arm. Glancing down at Max, Ragnor got the oddest of feelings, a feeling he'd been recently getting quite often whenever he spent time with Max. He'd been feeling like something was missing from his life, and spending time with Max was beginning to make him think that he was missing not ever having a family. For centuries he had thought that immortality made having a family impossible, but Max himself was proving that to be very wrong.

He was just beginning to think that he needed to fall asleep when he heard a sharp knock at the door. The first thought he had was that something had happened to either Magnus or Alec, but he knew they would have called first, not wanting to scare Max. Ragnor thought about trying to get up without waking Max, but before he could, Max opened his eyes anyway.

"Uncle Ragnor?" Ragnor couldn't help but smile at how groggy Max's voice was. "Is something wrong?" Ragnor couldn't help but ruffle Max's hair as he got up.

"I don't know, bud. You just lie back down, I'm sure everything is fine." Under normal circumstances, Ragnor would have been terribly annoyed at someone coming to his door this late at night. Something about Max always seemed to calm him, to put him unusually at ease.

Ragnor wasn't terribly surprised when he opened the door to see Raphael Santiago staring back at him. Without saying anything, Raphael simply walked past him and into the living room. Any other day, this wouldn't have bothered Ragnor at all, but when he turned around, he could see the terror in Max's eyes.

"What's this?" Raphael's voice was on edge, but that was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Raphael, this is Max. We haven't spoken in a long time, I know, but surely by now you've heard that Magnus and Alec started a family." Ragnor quickly turned to Max, knowing that this meeting was going to be terribly awkward but wanting to calm Max down nonetheless. "Max, bud, this is a very old friend of mine, Raphael. He's a good guy, I promise."

As Ragnor sat down on the couch once more, Max scurried to sit in Ragnor's lap, obviously unsure about how good Raphael really was. On reflex, Ragnor wrapped his arms around Max, not thinking much of it. Raphael, however, clearly thought something of it because he raised a questioning eyebrow at Ragnor but thankfully remained silent.

"Are you Daddy's friend, too?" Max surprised Ragnor by speaking up before Raphael could say anything else. It was easy to tell that Raphael was surprised as well, but he recovered before the silence stretched out too far.

"Yes, Max, your dad is a really good friend of mine, one of the best." At that, Max smiled very widely, and Ragnor watched in awe as a smile lit up Raphael's face as well. It generally took a lot out of a person to make Raphael smile, but all Max had done was give him a sleepy smile.

"Then you must be a very good man." Max looked up at Ragnor then, his face still lit up. "Not all vampires are bad, right Uncle Ragnor? Even though he's scary, that doesn't mean he's bad, right? Kind of like you when you're grumpy."

Ragnor wanted to respond in a witty way like Magnus would have done, but all he could do was laugh and kiss Max on the forehead.

* * *

Throughout the rest of the night, Max remained relatively silent, falling asleep once again fairly quickly. As soon as he fell asleep, Ragnor carried him to his bedroom and tucked him in bed, knowing that he was not likely to get any sleep himself.

Walking back into the living room, Raphael seemed to watch him with an amused sort of curiosity. "What, exactly, was that, Ragnor?'

For a moment, Ragnor became slightly annoyed, something that rarely ever happened with Raphael. "What are you talking about, Raphael? I told you, he's Magnus and Alec's."

When Raphael answered, his voice was a bit calmer than normal, and Ragnor absentmindedly wondered why. "That's not what I meant, Ragnor. You're different with that child. You're milder, gentler somehow. And I'm not exactly sure how I feel about that." When Raphael finished speaking, there was yet another surprising smile on his face. Ragnor was too tired to figure out exactly what that meant.

"That child has taught me a thing or two, Raphael. He's taught me that life doesn't have to be taken so seriously. His innocence is staggering. You could learn a thing or two from him yourself." Ragnor had thought that sounded reasonable enough, that he hadn't been accusing Raphael or anything of the sort.

But Raphael was being utterly serious when he responded. "That child might be innocent now, Ragnor. But he won't be innocent for long." Ragnor must have looked as horrified as he felt at that comment because Raphael gave a sharp chuckle and continued speaking. "Unfortunately, children never stay innocent for very long, especially children who grow up in the Shadow world."

Smiling, Ragnor replied with full honesty, something he rarely did with anyone other than Magnus and Raphael. "I think that's what makes Magnus and Alec such amazing parents. They know that better than anyone else, so they're making sure they protect Max as long as possible."

Raphael's eyes were sad as he looked back at Ragnor. "Sure, Ragnor. But how much longer is that going to be possible?"

* * *

That night, Ragnor hardly slept at all, worried beyond belief by what Raphael had said. The next morning, Magnus came to pick up Max, clearly not having gotten any sleep himself, although for a completely different reason. As Max ran to him, Magnus smiled over at Ragnor. "You're different, you know?" Watching Magnus with Max was like watching someone completely different than the man he had known for centuries.

Ragnor rolled his eyes, but he knew it was too late to keep anything from Magnus. "No, I mean it. You seem happier somehow." As Max raced back inside to grab his backpack, Magnus continued in a low voice. "Maybe you should think about adopting a child."

Smiling more than he probably should have, Ragnor simply responded. "Yeah, maybe."


	2. Chapter 2

Ragnor's mind was on a million things at once as he walked home. He had just spent the night helping Catarina at the hospital, and he wanted nothing to more than to curl up in bed and forget about the horrible things he's just seen and dealt with.

Then, he caught a glimpse of a small figure running down the street alone. It was far too early in the morning for much of anyone to be out and about, but it was definitely too early for a child to be out, especially by themselves. Ragnor decided to follow, wanting to figure out what was going on and if he needed to help.

As Ragnor rounded the corner he had just seen the child disappear around, he was surprised to find a boy about Max's age standing on the sidewalk frantically looking around. The boy turned to look at him as he heard Ragnor's footsteps. Ragnor stopped in his tracks as he realized that the boy before him had green skin, just like himself. The boy seemed to realize this, too because his face lit up with confusion.

"Who are you?" he asked, and Ragnor could tell that he was trying to make it seem as though he wasn't scared when he was actually scared out of his mind. When Ragnor answered, he kept his voice gentle, and he realized that it was the same tone he always used with Max.

"My name is Ragnor, and I'm like you. What I want to know is who you are, too and why you're here all alone." The boy studied him for a moment, and Ragnor could tell that he was the first warlock the child had ever met. Ragnor remembered the first time he had met another warlock; he clearly remembered how confused and terrified he'd been. He'd always assumed that he was the only one who had been unfortunate enough to be afflicted the way he was. When he finally figured out that he wasn't, it made been terrifying, but it had also been the best day of his life.

"My name is Ryder, and I'm out here all alone because I'm running away." He was so matter-of-fact about this that Ragnor had to keep himself from smiling at how ridiculous he looked. Ragnor could sense the edge to Ryder's voice, so he worked to be as unintimidating as possible, something often very hard for him, or so he'd heard from Magnus.

"Well, Ryder, just what are you running away from?" Ragnor had thought that this was a perfectly wonderful question, but Ryder suddenly became very defensive.

"I don't need your help; I can do this alone." He fidgeted with the straps of his backpack, the only thing he had with him. At that, Ragnor did smile, but he clarified his smile, hoping to cover up what he actually wanted to happen.

"You may not need my help, but how about humoring an old man and coming to grab a bite to eat with me? I know this really great diner that stays open all night, and I could use some company after a long day of work." Ryder's face screwed up in thought, and Ragnor could almost see the wheels turning in his head. Ragnor only hoped that if he could get the boy to come with him, that he could somehow find him a home.

"Alright, but after that I have to get on my way." As Ragnor led the way toward the diner, he silently hoped that Ryder's willingness to trust him was a good sign.

* * *

"So, Ryder, why exactly are you running away?" Ragnor had waited what he thought was long enough. He and Ryder had their food, and Ryder seemed to be enjoying it thoroughly. At first, Ryder had protested at the idea of going into a mundane diner. But Ragnor quickly showed him how to use glamor to make his skin an "acceptable" color. When Ragnor showed him what his skin could look like with a little magic, the look on Ryder's face was so full of joy that it was heartbreaking. Throughout his childhood, Max had been taught that his skin was something to love, that he had to hide it from mundanes simply because mundanes had to be protected from the Shadow world. Ryder, however, had obviously never been taught anything of the sort.

Finally, Ryder looked up at him and began to answer the question. "I'm running away from home because my parents don't want me. They're not, you know, like us." Ragnor nodded but remained silent, hoping that Ryder would continue if he didn't interrupt.

"They were scared of me, and they called me a monster. They rarely let me leave the house. So I had to get out." His voice was strong and it was easy to see how serious he was about leaving home. He wanted a life, and that wasn't something Ragnor could blame him for.

"How old are you, Ryder?" When Ryder immediately answered that he was six, Ragnor could tell that he had essentially already won the fight at hand, the fight to get Ryder to trust him.

"Ragnor? I have a question for you." Ragnor couldn't help but smile. Ryder was Max's age, but his innocence, his curiosity made him seem years younger. "Do you know anyone else like us?"

Ragnor resisted the urge to groan at the thought of Magnus. Of course he wasn't going to tell Ryder that his best friend annoyed him more than anyone else on the planet. Instead, he responded, "Yeah, I know tons of people like us. I worked all night with one of my best friends who's like us." He leaned in, making sure only Ryder could hear him. "She's blue, by the way." At that, Ryder's eyes lit up and Ragnor could tell that he was beginning to understand that there were plenty of others like him. "But we've got tons of friends like us. In fact, my best friend has a son that's your age and he's like us, too."

That being said, Ryder's attention was definitely caught, another warlock child interested him to no end. After he continued to ask Ragnor a series of questions about other people like them and whatever else he could seem to think of, Ragnor finally figured out how to get the boy to come with him. Ryder had asked, "What's your best friend like?"

With a smile, Ragnor responded, "I guess if you want to find that out, you'll just have to come with me and see."

For a moment, Ragnor's heart dropped as he began to think that Ryder was going to tell him that he had to get going again. But finally, Ryder smiled as well and hopped down from his seat. "Then let's get going," was all that he said.

* * *

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Magnus was giving Ragnor that smile that generally made him sick with anticipation. He had brought Ryder to see Magnus and Alec first thing in the morning, and Ryder and Max had immediately become the best of friends. Max was currently showing him all the things his father had taught him with magic, giving Magnus the chance to grill Ragnor about what was going on.

"If you're thinking that I need to find that boy a loving home, then yes." Ragnor had hoped that Magnus wouldn't be able to see that he was specifically thinking that Ryder should stay with him, but that unfortunately did not happen.

"Oh come on, Ragnor. Just the other day you said something about possibly starting a family. You cannot tell me that you're not thinking of seeing if he wants to stay with you." The excitement in Magnus's eyes made Ragnor want to slap it out of him, but he could tell that Magnus just wanted him to be happy.

Instead of responding to what Magnus had just said, Ragnor avoided that and said, "You know I'm not lonely, right? I'm actually quite happy, Magnus." Magnus nodded, but Ragnor could see the hesitation in his eyes.

"I know that. It's just that I see the way you are with Max, and I can't help but think that you could be a lot happier than you are now if you had someone like that all the time."

Before Ragnor could answer, Ryder raced over to him. "Ragnor! Ragnor, look!" The boy was so full of excitement that Ragnor knew his face was also consumed by a smile of his own. "Look at what Max just taught me!" Ryder pointed toward a pencil that was sitting on the coffee table, and it promptly floated into his hand. When he looked up at Ragnor, he seemed to be so full of joy and pride that Ragnor hardly knew how to respond.

"I told you there are all sorts of amazing things you can do with magic. You're just going to have to practice like crazy if you want to be as good as me one day." At that, Ryder smiled even wider, seeming to catch on to what Ragnor was trying to do.

"Are you saying you're going to teach me?" Ragnor took a deep breath and refused to look at Magnus, knowing he would see a terrible smirk if he chose to glance at him.

"Well, Ryder, if I'm going to do that, you're going to have to stay with me. If you want to, that is."

At first, Ragnor was absolutely certain that Ryder was going to tell him no. He was pained to suddenly realize that he was nervous about what Ryder would say in answer, to realize that he was already attached to the boy.

Before he realized what was happening, Ryder had suddenly thrown his arms as far around Ragnor as they would go. "Of course I would love to stay with you," was all that the boy said, his voice much softer than it had been moments ago. Ragnor reached down to hug him back, knowing that Ryder was becoming emotional because he had never expected that anyone could actually want him.

Smiling, Ragnor ruffled his hair. "I'm glad we're in agreement, then. I've been needing someone to help me keep Magnus in line."


	3. Chapter 3

The next few months went by in an absolute blur for Ragnor. The stress of having a child, however, wasn't really a stress to him. He had never been so happy, and he had to admit that Magnus had been terribly right about him starting a family. Even he could tell that he was much less grumpy all the time, much less unhappy with life in general.

Ryder seemed to adjust to his new life flawlessly, absolutely falling in love with his new family. He especially seemed to enjoy the nights that they had dinner at Magnus and Alec's, which was something Ragnor tried to make happen at least once a week. He and Max were quickly becoming the best of friends, and Ragnor was extremely happy that Ryder finally had someone like him to be friends with.

They fell into a very easy routine, just the two of them, as happy and content as could be. He and Ryder had agreed that Ryder wouldn't go to mundane school, but he would be taught much in the same was a Shadowhunter growing up at an Institute might be taught, with tutors, or in this case, by Ragnor himself.

Ragnor gave him daily lessons, and had begun to include magic lessons, much like the way Magnus was teaching Max. Ryder was learning very quickly, and Ragnor couldn't have been more proud.

Just when things finally seemed calm, however, another surprise showed up on their doorstep, once again in the form of Raphael. This time, it was Ryder who answered the door, and he came up short when he realized it wasn't his Uncle Magnus standing before him as he had expected.

Raphael looked down at the boy in utter confusion, obviously just as surprised as Ryder had been. "And who might you be?" he asked, keeping his voice as gentle as possible, trying to make himself as nonmenacing as possible, something he knew was relatively hard for him to begin with.

"I'm Ryder, who are you?" The boy was so serious, so much more mature than he seemed he should be for his age that Raphael had to keep himself from smiling or laughing at how ridiculous he looked.

"My name is Raphael. I'm a friend of Ragnor's." Ryder looked up at him as if sizing him up, trying to see if he could trust him or not. He apparently decided that Raphael was to be trusted because he turned around and yelled, "Daddy, there's someone here who says he's your friend."

Raphael was currently more confused than ever, but he kept his mouth shut, waiting for Ragnor to show up. As soon as Ragnor turned the corner, Raphael felt himself relax, he had never been very good with children. He was happy to see Ragnor smile as he saw Raphael standing in the doorway.

All too quickly, Raphael was sitting across from Ragnor who had Ryder on his lap. The boy was still looking at Raphael at bit skeptically, which made Raphael uncomfortable for some unknown reason. It was as though he wanted the boy's approval, and he couldn't really fathom why.

"Ryder, you don't have to be afraid of Raphael," Ragnor was saying. "He's a very old friend of mine."

At that, Raphael smiled, saying, "Oh come on, Ragnor. I'm not that old." Surprisingly, Ragnor smiled as well. It always lifted Raphael's spirits to see Ragnor happy, and he looked terribly happy to have Ryder with him.

Raphael stayed for as long as he dared, not wanting to intrude. Ryder walked him to the door, and Raphael was pleasantly surprised when Ryder said, "You know what, Raphael? I think I like you. Have a good night."

* * *

Instead of going home, Raphael couldn't help but go by Magnus's. He only hoped he wouldn't wake Max up when he did so. Alec answered the door and when to get Magnus without saying a word, knowing that Raphael was obviously there for something important.

After talking for a bit, Magnus finally picked up on what Raphael was there for, and this annoyed him to no end. "Why don't you just admit your love for him, Raphael? That would make things much easier on everyone, especially the two of you."

For a moment, Raphael remained silent. This was something he had often wondered himself, and he hated the fact that Magnus picked up on this so easily. "Even if I wanted to tell him now, I couldn't anymore, you know that as well as I do."

"Why? Because of Ryder? That boy would adjust terribly easily, Raphael. He's a strong kid, and I don't think he would object." The problem was that Magnus was right and he knew it.

Raphael couldn't figure out what to say in any way. He knew Magnus was right, but that simply made things worse. "Raphael, for goodness sake, please," Magnus continued speaking, his voice gentle, irritating Raphael even more. "The fact that you've loved him for this long is simply ridiculous. When you first told me, I thought it would blow over. But it hasn't, and I see now that it won't. You need to tell him, Raphael, he deserves to know."

* * *

Magnus was getting terribly annoyed at his friends, but he knew he had to keep his mouth shut. Just last night, Raphael had come to him, distraught over his love for Ragnor. And now Ragnor was sitting before him, agonizing over his own love for Raphael. Yet neither of them were smart enough to admit it to the other.

"Ragnor, just tell him." Magnus tried to keep his voice even. "You've been hiding this for far too long, and he deserves to know." Ragnor stared at him, and Magnus sighed, knowing that things were unlikely to ever happen the way he thought they needed to.

"Just tell him?" Ragnor's voice was incredulous. "How on earth am I supposed to do that?" Magnus resisted the urge to laugh at just how ridiculous Ragnor sounded.

"For goodness sake, Ragnor, it's not like you're going into battle. It's love, not war. You can just tell him; you don't have to be extravagant with it."

Wishing with all his might that one of them would simply tell the other, Magnus shut his eyes for a moment. He had tried so many times to think of a way to let one of them know that the other felt the same way, but they had both sworn him to secrecy, and he couldn't ever come up with a way out of it.

That's when Magnus suddenly had a terrible idea, the type of idea he knew he was very likely to use. He tried to keep this off his face as best he could, knowing that Ragnor could read his expressions very well. Magnus kept himself from smiling as Ragnor continued. "I just wish there were some way for me to tell him without actually having to tell him. It's like he's utterly clueless."

Magnus sighed, forcing his voice to be calm and collected. "There's no way he's going to find out unless you tell him, Ragnor. You're either going to have to man up and do it, or you're going to have to be content with being secretly in love."

* * *

Ryder and Magnus were huddled together, and Alec didn't really want to know what they were up to. It seemed to him that they were scheming, and as long as the scheme didn't involve him, he was oddly okay with it.

"You remember everything I told you, Ryder?" Alec could hear the excitement in Magnus's voice, and he didn't know whether to smile or groan at it. "You know what you need to do?"

Ryder nodded enthusiastically, looking up at Magnus with a huge smile on his face. "I got it, Uncle Magnus. I'm gonna do just what you said and help make Daddy very happy."


	4. Chapter 4

Raphael became slightly terrified as he racked his brain trying to think of why Magnus could possibly have wanted him to come over. There was no reason Raphael could think of, which only made him more nervous. He generally tried to stay away from situations in which he had no idea why Magnus was doing whatever he was doing, and this situation was particularly unappealing to him.

He knew if his heart had still been beating that its pace would have been quickened as he reached up to knock on Magnus's apartment door. He was a bit surprised when the door opened and there was no one standing eye-to-eye with him. Raphael looked down, then he couldn't help but smiling as he saw Ryder standing in front of him.

Before Raphael could say anything, Ryder smiled himself, saying, "Raphael, we've been expecting you." He spread his arms wide open, and Raphael couldn't help but widen his smile at just how adorable the boy was.

As he entered the apartment, Raphael became even more confused when he realized that Ryder seemed to be the only one there. Ryder seemed to notice this because he spoke up once more. "Uncle Magnus and Uncle Alec had to step out for a bit." Raphael felt his eyebrows furrow in confusion. Why would Magnus and Alec leave Ryder alone in their apartment? And where was Ragnor in all of this?

Sitting down opposite Ryder, Raphael remained silent, partially trying to figure out what was going on and partially hoping that Ryder would tell him if he waited long enough. "Raphael?" Ryder's voice was a bit softer this time around. "While we wait on Uncle Magnus to come back, I have a question for you."

All Raphael could do was nod at him, eyebrows raised in question. He was surprisingly nervous at what the boy before him was going to ask. He had never really felt as though he was very good with children at all, and being alone with Ryder made him highly uncomfortable. But what Ryder asked him stopped him in his tracks.

"Are you in love with my daddy?" It was such a simple question, and Ryder's innocence in asking it was staggering. But Raphael couldn't seem process the fact that Ryder was asking this specific question. Almost all his life, he had avoided answering this question to everyone. With a start, he realized that he had avoided answering this question to himself as well, he had avoided facing it altogether, and now he was being forced to face it in a way he had never imagined.

Ryder remained silent, and Raphael could tell that the boy was just watching him work through the situation. He knew he was taking too long to respond, but the war that was taking place in his head was just getting started. Raphael knew that he needed to tell the truth, that he needed to tell Ragnor, even. But the fear of all the different possible outcomes kept Raphael's mouth shut tight.

Before he could decide what to do, Ryder began again, obviously aware of the fact that Raphael was struggling with the question. "I'm sorry if you don't want to talk about this. It's just that I see the way Daddy looks at you." Ryder paused, a smile spreading across his face. "But I also see the way you look at him. And I just want the two of you to be happy. More than anything."

Raphael sighed, suddenly knowing exactly what he had to do. He could tell that Ryder was trying to say more than that he wanted them to be happy. Even if he didn't notice it himself, Ryder was also saying that the two of them being together would make him happy as well, that having a family would make him happy.

Looking directly into Ryder's eyes, Raphael finally said the words he'd been holding back for years. "Yes, Ryder. I'm in love with Ragnor." As he finished speaking, he was suddenly filled with joy to see Ryder's face light up with a smile, but Raphael could also see another question forming in Ryder's mind as well.

"If you love him, then why haven't you told him?" That was the million-dollar question, the question Raphael had been trying to answer for Magnus, for himself, for years. He didn't want to admit it to himself, much less the young boy sitting before him.

Sighing, he decided that because there was no possibility of hiding it anymore, he might as well be honest. "Well, Ryder, if I'm being completely honest, it's because I'm too scared to tell him." Ryder's eyes lit up with confusion when Raphael said this, as if he couldn't grasp the concept.

"What does that have to do with anything?" was all he asked.

A soft smile playing across his lips, Raphael responded, "That's just it. It shouldn't have anything to do with this, but fear makes us do crazy things sometimes."

Surprising Raphael, Ryder looked over at him and began to speak again, his voice crystal clear. "Well, I wasn't lying when I said that Daddy looks at you the way you look at him. The problem is that he's usually looking at you that way when you can't see it. I just think that you might be surprised at his reaction if you simply told him."

Before Raphael could respond, Magnus burst through the front door, making Raphael extremely annoyed once again. Magnus quickly began an apology that Raphael didn't really listen to. He was too busy planning out what he was going to do next to listen to anything that Magnus had to say to him.

When Magnus was finally done, Raphael looked over at him. "If you're truly sorry, then you'll do me a huge favor." Magnus's eyebrows simply shot up in question. "When Ragnor comes to pick Ryder up, tell him that I need to speak with him. Alone and urgently."

Before Raphael could give himself time to talk himself out of what he was about to do, he strode out of the apartment and into the night, his heart full of more hope than it had been in years.

* * *

Ragnor couldn't possibly fathom why Raphael would want to speak with him so late at night. Magnus had pushed him to go that night, saying that it was imperative that he go as quickly as possible. Reluctantly, Ragnor left Ryder with Magnus and Alec for the night, promising to pick him up first thing in the morning. But Ryder seemed completely unphased by anything that was happening, and that made Ragnor slightly suspicious.

Walking up to the Dumort, Ragnor was beginning to get slightly nervous at the thought of entering the hotel. It had always made him terribly uncomfortable to be inside, even with Raphael at his side. Before he could get inside, however, Raphael appeared before him, as silent and graceful as ever. "Shall we take a walk?" was all he said before taking off into the night, apparently assuming that Ragnor was going to follow him.

They walked in silence for a few blocks, and Ragnor felt himself relaxing in Raphael's presence, something he could rarely say about anyone. Eventually, Raphael turned off into a small park, leading the way to sit on a bench situated between two oak trees. For anyone else, it would have been terribly unnerving to sit in a park in New York in the middle of the night, but Ragnor smiled at the fact that the two of them were as at ease as if they had been sitting in their living room. His guess was that being a vampire and an all-powerful warlock tended to help their case.

"What are you smiling about?" Raphael's voice cut through his thoughts, and for a moment, he wasn't sure he wanted to share what was going through his head.

In response, he left it at, "Just us," bringing a smile to Raphael's face as well. But before Raphael could say anything himself, Ragnor continued. "Why are we here Raphael? What was so important that you couldn't wait for morning to come?"

What Raphael said next came as a complete surprise to Ragnor, but he forced himself to remain silent and wait for Raphael to finish. "I got you to come here tonight because I have to tell you something and I can't waste any more time. To put it simply, I'm in love with you, and that's just become a fact of my life. Unfortunately, I've waited far too long to tell you this, and I can only hope that if you somehow feel the same way that you'll forgive me for not speaking up before now."

At first, Ragnor had thought that as soon as Raphael was done speaking, he was going to know exactly what to say. But now, staring back into Raphael's eyes, seeing the pure hope that was flooding his face, Ragnor was both speechless and breathless, and he had no idea what to say.

"Ragnor, listen. I know this is probably a shock, and I know it's not exactly the best of time, what with you just getting Ryder and everything. But I promise you that if you give me the chance, I'll be the best partner, the best father, you've ever seen. Just give me the chance. Please."


	5. Chapter 5

For a moment, Ragnor was entirely caught off guard. It suddenly hit him that Magnus had been trying to tell him this for years, that Magnus had been trying to get him to understand that Raphael was just as in love with him as he was in love with Raphael. This revelation hit Ragnor so hard that for a moment, he couldn't bear to so much as look at Raphael.

He knew he should say something, anything, to show Raphael how much he loved him as well. He wanted to say the absolute perfect thing to make up for all their lost time, but it felt as though the breath had been sucked out of him completely.

Unfortunately, Raphael seemed to take this as a bad sign, and before Ragnor could form any sort of word at all, Raphael began to speak again. "Look, Ragnor, I'm sorry. This was obviously unwanted, so let's just both forget I said anything at all." As Raphael moved to stand up, Ragnor finally found it in himself to so much as move, and he reached for Raphael's hand.

"Wait. Please. I'm the one who's sorry." His voice was a bit harsher than he had wanted it to be, but he suddenly found himself nervous, despite the fact that he knew he shouldn't be. He stood up, keeping hold of Raphael's hand. "You just surprised me, that's all. I just never expected what I'd been dreaming of for years to finally happen. You left me speechless, that's all."

Raphael's face was unreadable, but when he spoke, Ragnor could hear the surprise and edge to his tone. "Don't toy with me, Ragnor. I don't appreciate being mocked."

At first, Ragnor was unsure that he was going to be able to respond. But then the words simply began pouring out of him, and he didn't know where they had come from. "Raphael, I wouldn't ever joke about anything like this. I've loved you for years, and I'm sorry I hid it. I shouldn't have, and I know that now. But I would never dare make a mockery of your emotions. If I didn't love you, I wouldn't be telling you that I did." Ragnor paused, but Raphael didn't make a move to speak, so Ragnor decided to continue.

"I can see it in your eyes, Raphael. You've hid it yourself because you thought I would think of you as a monster if I knew. But let me tell you one thing, I have never thought of you that way, and I never will." Ragnor held up his hand as Raphael opened his mouth to protest. "No, I know you too well, I can tell it. But I need you to understand that I think the exact opposite of you. Raphael is an angel's name, after all."

He had been expecting Raphael to smile or to say something witty in return. Instead, he suddenly found Raphael's lips against his, and for a moment he was frozen, unable to move or even so much as process what was going on.

Then, he found himself relaxing into Raphael's touch. He found himself closing his eyes, and Ragnor was vaguely aware that he was having the thought that he and Raphael seemed to fit together perfectly. He found himself smiling at the thought that this must have been what Magnus had meant when he said the same thing about himself and Alec. Raphael pulled away when Ragnor was smiling so much that it was making their kissing impossible.

"Why are you smiling like that?" There was a hint of suspicion in Raphael's voice, but it was mostly masked over with amusement. At first, Ragnor simply shook his head, but then another thought popped into his head.

Almost having to keep himself from laughing, Ragnor relished in the look on Raphael's face at what he said next. "What are we going to say to Ryder?"

* * *

"Wait, wait, wait. Let me get this straight." Ryder's voice was so full of excitement that Ragnor couldn't have kept a smile off his face to save his life. "You mean I'm going to have two daddies?" The emphasis he put on the word "two" made Ragnor's heart fill with joy.

Ragnor and Raphael nodded simultaneously as Ryder looked back and forth between the two of them. "Is that a problem, Ryder?" As Raphael asked this, Ragnor could tell that there was no anger in it, there was no harshness to any of his words, they were all light and full of a joy of his own.

Ryder vigorously shook his head. "What? No! Of course not." Ryder looked worried that he had hurt them, and Ragnor wanted to comfort him, but he remained silent as he could tell the boy was about to speak again. "It's just that I never really had one daddy. Not one that cared anyway. And now I have two!"

Looking over at Raphael, Ragnor saw the same bliss he felt mirrored in Raphael's eyes. At first, Ragnor didn't have any idea of what he should say. But then Ryder's arms were stretched around him as far as they could go, and then he found himself encompassed by Raphael as well, and he knew that anything he could possibly say would never be adequate enough to express to his new little family exactly how happy he felt.

They stayed like this for several moments, and Ragnor found himself not wanting the moment to end. But when they pulled apart from one another, Ryder looked up at them, and Ragnor could tell another question was coming. "What about our last names? What's going to happen with those?"

Ragnor was brought up short by this. He hadn't been prepared in the slightest to think about what they might do about names, it hadn't even crossed his mind in all that had been going on. Raphael, apparently, had thought of this, and he let out a slight chuckle.

"Well, Ryder. I was thinking about this myself. And I would actually like to ask yours and Ragnor's permission to take the name Fell." At that, Ragnor could no longer register what was going on around him. Ryder was saying something to Raphael, but Ragnor had no idea what that could possibly be. He could tell that Raphael was looking at him, saying something, most likely asking him to say something, but he couldn't begin to say anything at all.

He sensed that there were tears in his eyes, but he couldn't possibly manage to form any words. "Ragnor, are you okay?" Ragnor finally processed what Raphael was saying, and he swallowed the lump in his throat before attempting to respond.

"Everything is perfect, Raphael. I'm sorry. You just caught me off guard," he smiled before finishing. "Not for the first time tonight." Ragnor's smile widened as Raphael reached up to wipe away the first tear that had begun to stream down his face.

In an effort to make things light again, in an effort to restore the sort of relationship he and Raphael had always had, Ragnor forced himself to speak once more before the tears began in earnest and he was unable to form any more words.

"I hope you're prepared to fend off Magnus's string of 'I told you so's.'"


End file.
